A Rock in The River
by MorganEnjoysFanfiction
Summary: River could smooth Jayne like a piece of stone, and he could be the wall that would soothe her rushing tide. What happens when he lets her polish him? What happens when he calms her waters? Jayne/River.
1. The Apple in The Hand

**A/N: **I was inspired during one of my classes tonight; I wrote about 10 pages in an hour! Here's the beginning; please tell me what you think!

This takes place after Serenity but I like to pretend Wash is still alive.

**Firefly and Serenity belong to Joss Whedon, not me.**

* * *

"Gorram it girl, give me back my apple."

Jayne Cobb, hired gun aboard the Firefly class ship _Serenity_, was annoyed. He was often annoyed; it was in his nature to be surly and generally unapproachable. However, a certain moonbrained young woman was annoying him more than usual.

River Tam giggled softly. "This is mine now," she stated matter-of-factly. "Much too shiny for you. You need polishing. Can't take care of a shiny apple."

Jayne growled and stood abruptly, his hunting knife at his side. "I ain't aimin' to take care of it girl, I'm aimin' to eat it. Now hand it over!"

She giggled again and whisked out the door, nearly faster than Jayne could blink. Her voiced echoed back into the kitchen: "It needs love to grow!" He walked to the doorway and looked down the hallway. Suddenly, her head popped out from a stairwell. "You're not ready to love it," she said calmly. "You need polishing! You're too dirty."

Jayne boiled over. _"__Jien tah duh guay!"_ In a few long, loping strides he was nearly to the stairwell. River shrieked and ran, the apple still clutched desperately in her hand. Down the stairs and corridors they went, River half laughing, half crying as Jayne ruthlessly chased her. He wasn't annoyed anymore; like River, he was half enraged and half amused at the younger woman's antics. When he had decided she amused him as well as infuriated him, he didn't know.

They crashed into the cargo bay. River danced down the stairs and crouched behind several large black crates. Jayne leaped down the last few steps and cornered her.

Simon appeared suddenly in the cargo bay, followed quickly by Kaylee. He pushed unsuccessfully against Jayne's chest to move him. "River," he pleaded gently, "River, give the apple back to the terrifying mercenary, okay?"

She shook her head.

"Okay then," he sighed, "Could I have the apple?"

"Are you worthy of loving it?" She asked him seriously.

"Am I – what? Yes River, I can love the apple," Simon replied. River pulled back slightly, as though she didn't believe him. Her eyes fell on Jayne, and she stared at his heaving chest and angry eyes. With her eyes still on him, she tossed the apple into Simon's hands. He sighed again and handed the apple to Jayne, whose eyes did not leave River's face as he took an enormous bite.

Kaylee wrapped her arms around River. Conspiratorially, she said, "Let's leave those menfolk be. How about you show me some of those pretty steps you was doin' last night?" River smiled, and she led Kaylee out of the cargo bay, dancing to music only she heard.

Jayne turned to Simon and looked down onto him, apple juice dripping into his goatee. "You keep her under control, _dong ma?_ I ain't responsible for what happens to her when she goes all crazy-like."

Simon paled. "You wouldn't dare. You know what will happen if you do."

"Are you threatnin' me, Doc?" Another bite and the apple was nearly gone.

"No. The Captain will kill you if you hurt either of us, and you will have to go through me to get to her. Besides, we all know what you value more than coin: your own skin."

"I ain't gonna do nothin' to her," Jayne growled. He sheathed his hunting knife; Simon hadn't seen it in his hand. "I'm sayin' if I gotta stop her when she gets crazy, and she's getting' crazier, don't try an' deny it, she could get hurt. Case you haven't noticed, but I'm a mite bigger'n she is."

Simon swallowed thickly. "That will not be necessary." As he walked underneath Jayne's arms, he saw River had escaped Kaylee's happy wiles and stood in the doorway.

"You could be shiny, Jayne," she called. Simon rushed to her but she continued. "If you let the river polish you, the whole 'verse would shine with you!"

As Simon ushered her away, Jayne finished his apple. He began walking back to his bunk, his thoughts in a multitude of places. Most underestimated his thinking skills. Sure, he wasn't a genius doctor, but he had a type of smarts that served him well in the black. He knew when someone was lying to him, he knew how to haggle and damn if he wasn't the best shot on the ship. At that particular moment, he was thinking about a girl, and her crazy words.

"Polishin' my ass," he grunted, and buried any and all feeling she might have stirred up inside him. He stalked off to see if Mal would spot him in a set.

* * *

_Jien tah duh guay - _like hell

_dong ma_ - understand?


	2. The Gold in The Man

**A/N: **This chapter is very heavily influenced by the KateShines story "Elsewhere," in particular chapter 2, "Minotaur." Please read it, it's an excellent Jayne/River fic! I hope everyone enjoys the continuation of this story.

* * *

"_Xiao mei mei..."_

Simon sighed, as he was wont to do. He sighed all the time, River noticed. Though, she supposed, not so much when he was with Kaylee.

"Sorry Simon," she whispered. "I didn't mean to do anything wrong..."

"No River, you didn't do anything wrong," he said absently, checking the level of medication in the syringe. "Just, you know how dangerous Jayne is. You need to stay away from him."

"He wants to shine though," she replied quietly. "I could help him."

Simon slowly injected the dope into his sister's arm. "I'm sure he wants to shine," he said as he did so. "Shine with little pieces of stolen platinum coins, no doubt."

"He isn't platinum," River said, confused. "No, not platinum. Gold maybe. No," she shook her head, "too soft. Quartz. Shiny marble. The river doesn't know how long it will take to smooth all the rough spots on the stone."

Simon chuckled. "I can guarantee you, River, that Jayne is not made of gold."

River looked at him, somewhat offended. "How do you know?"

Her brother was no longer paying much attention. He was preparing another syringe. "Hmm? Know what? That Jayne's not made of gold?"

She continued angrily, "You're just assuming. You're not a river, you can't know. Just a fallacy. You are a tree, Simon."

Simon looked up from the syringe then. "I'm a - a what, sorry?"

"We're all pairs here. Tied together," she replied softly. The dope was beginning to take effect, and her words began to slur. "Zoe is the sky. Wash is the earth. Together they are one. Inara is a cool breeze and Mal is a bird and he flies on her wind. Bird and breeze also equal one. Math adds up!"

Simon came over to the examination table and cupped her cheeks gently. "_Mei mei_ -"

"You – you are a tree, and Kaylee is made of sunshine and she can make you blossom!" River was getting agitated at her brother's lack of understanding. "Well, I am a river, and Jayne is a rock. We are a pair. It makes sense! He can slow and calm the river and she can make him smooth. Shiny."

Simon gripped her face between his hands. "River, you and Jayne are not one. You need to stay away from him. Do you understand?"

She said softly, her voice nearly gone from the dope, "I want to make him shine."

"You're shiny enough for two, River," Simon whispered. She passed out then, a small frown on her face.

* * *

_xiao mei mei_ - dear little sister


	3. The Anger in The Captain

**A/N:** I'm just rocketing along with this story. Thanks to birthofagoddess for her very nice reviews :)  


* * *

"Mal, I need words with ya."

Jayne walked onto the bridge, where Mal, Zoe and Wash watched as Persephone grew larger and larger in front of them. Badger had contacted them: he had a quick job that needed doing and Mal had been his first wave.

"Speak your piece, Jayne," Mal said gruffly without turning around. The captain looked down at his sitting pilot. "Inara all set to take off?"

"Yep, we'll break atmo in about five minutes," Wash replied.

"Not everyone's got crime needs doin'," Mal replied with a small smile. He looked up at Jayne then. "You said you needed words?"

"Girl's bein' creepifyin' again," he said without preamble.

"_Ta ma de_, Jayne, we've talked about this," Mal sighed. "They are part of the crew, _dong ma?_ Ain't no way they're leavin' this boat."

Jayne frowned harder. "I ain't sayin' we get rid of 'em, I'm just sayin' – hell, I don't know what I'm sayin'. Just she's botherin' me is all."

Mal and Zoe shared a quick look. He stepped up to Jayne and clapped him on the shoulder. "You know what, Jayne, you are absolutely correct. I'm thinkin' on this run I'll take Wash instead and you can watch the _feng le_ child, how's that?"

Wash spoke before Jayne could interject. "Wait, I get to go on a job?" Both Mal and Zoe nodded; Zoe placed her hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Someone has to look after me, husband."

"But, who's going to look after me? I can't watch you, have Mal watch you," Wash said.

Jayne waved his hands in the air for attention. "Are you out of your ruttin' mind Mal?"

Mal stood to his full height and looked Jayne square in the eye. Wash and Zoe quit their sweet talking and watched as the captain continued, "I've rarely been so serious, Jayne. Fact is, you're the only one not 100% on them still, and I can't help but wonder if you're still after some extra coin from them. Spend the day with the girl, see what her brother goes through day in and day out, tryin' to protect her. Get to know her, even! She ain't our albatross for nothin'."

"I ain't lookin' -"

"Protect her and bring her back. One day, Jayne. I reckon you can manage it."

Jayne pondered for a moment. "Will I get coin?"

Mal snorted. "You'll get respect. Better'n coin! Well, in a fashion. Not much is better'n coin," he mused. His back to Jayne, he said to Wash, "What time'll we be landin'?"

"About ten at night."

Zoe said smartly, "Badger should be sending a wave soon sir. I believe he wants to meet tomorrow morning."

"How long will the ambassador be gone for?"

They continued talking about Inara in a similar vein. Jayne couldn't focus, couldn't believe his awful luck. No way was he going to be in charge of the girl while the others went off to do dirty business. "_F__ang zong feng kuang de__!_" He burst out angrily. He crashed his fist against the console, sending several of Wash's dinosaur figures sprawling to the ground. "Come on Mal! She's gonna get me killed!"

The captain turned around, his eyes dark. Zoe and Wash watched the scene unfold.

"Seems to me you are forgettin' who's the captain on this ship," Mal said angrily. He stepped forward, forcing Jayne to take several unwilling steps backward. "If I ever say jump you don't even ask how high, you get your _pi yan_ into the air faster than _Serenity_ can take off and let me worry about the height. Now I ain't askin', I'm tellin' you to watch River tomorrow." He ripped the intercom microphone off the console and said, "Doc, you and your sister best be comin' up to the bridge, _dong le ma?_"

In the bridge, tempers were steaming. Mal, Zoe and Jayne glared at each other while Wash slowly docked on Persephone.

Simon and River slowly approached the bridge. River sang out, "You rang the doorbell. We knocked!"

"You needed something, Captain?" Simon asked.

"We got a job tomorrow mornin'," Mal said gruffly. "Jayne ain't comin', he's gonna be watchin' your sister while Wash and Zoe and I head out, do us some crime."

Simon barely let Mal finish. "You cannot be serious."

Mal threw his hands in the air. "Why is it nobody believes this is my ship? Zoe, do I not look captain-y enough?"

"The picture of a captain, sir," she replied with a smile.

Mal sigh and approached the doctor and the mercenary. He clapped his hands on their shoulders. "She's goin' with Jayne tomorrow. Just one day Simon, won't hardly be a few hours. Go worldside with Kaylee! And you," Mal looked directly into Jayne's eyes, "keep the little albatross safe, or I assure you, you'll be needin' to find another ship."

He turned away. The conversation was closed. Simon turned to Jayne, looking to continue arguing, but Jayne had already stalked off. He thundered down to his bunk, and polished each and every one of his guns until he calmed down.

"Watchin' the girl," he muttered occasionally. "What a bunch of _go-se._"

Inside, he wasn't quite as mad as his mouth might lead others to believe.

* * *

_ta ma de - _dammit

_dong ma/dong le ma - _understand/do you understand

_feng le - _crazy

___fang zong feng kuang de - _ a knot of self-indulgent lunacy

___pi yan - _ass

___go se - _dog shit


	4. The Hand in The Other

**A/N:** This is more of a short bridging chapter than anything. As many of you have probably noticed, I'm excellent with dialogue but a poor plot writer; if you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to PM me!

* * *

"River, remember if he scares you, run back to the ship. Just run away, okay?"

Simon gripped River's shoulder tightly as he led her out of the ship onto Persephone. Sometimes he forgot how capable she was, how dangerous she was, in fact. She was an Alliance-made assassin who could destroy an entire Reaver fleet, but to him, she was his sweet baby sister who needed his protection. His entire world for years had revolved around her, and no matter what the Alliance had done to her, no matter how much he might love another woman, she would probably always come first to him.

"Gorram girl can take of herself," Jayne said to Simon, though it was loud enough for Mal to hear too. Simon stood straight and glared at the mercenary; River took the opportunity to step away and dance back into the cargo bay past Mal and Zoe.

"That she can," Mal replied without looking, "but as I recall, I put you in charge of her anyway." He looked at the doctor and said, "Now Simon, Jayne knows exactly what'll happen to him if somethin' happens to even one hair on her pretty little head. Go on out with Kaylee, she might need your help."

"Yeah Simon," the pretty mechanic bounced happily next to him. She took his arm and continued, "You can help me look for parts in the junkyard, we might be needin' a new reduction coiler soon and I'm out of synchronizers…"

Simon grimaced, but with Kaylee's genuine happiness and cheery nature, it couldn't stay there forever. She led him out of _Serenity_ and off towards the junkyard.

Wash drove the mule slowly out of the cargo bay. Zoe stepped onto it behind her husband. "You gonna be alright Jayne?" She asked him.

"Gonna be just fine," he spat on the ground. "Watchin' the crazy girl, no crime to be done… gonna be a great day."

"Good," Mal said. He hopped onto the mule right behind Zoe. "Try 'n be back here 'round sunset, _dong ma?_"

Jayne only nodded. He ran his finger gently along the blade of his hunting knife as he watched his captain and crewmates drove off into the crowd. He felt a small, soft hand touch his own. "Is the rock ready to move?" River asked innocently.

He yanked his hand away as though she had burned him. "Ruttin' hell," he muttered, "don't be grabbin' on me. Come on," he said, grabbing her wrist and tugging her into the crowd on the docks. She followed quickly behind, barely able to follow in the frightening man's footsteps.

* * *

_dong ma - _understand


	5. The Fire in The Water

**A/N:** Thanks for all the support everyone! You're making this such an enjoyable story to write. It's fun creating histories and futures for characters :)

I don't know how old Jayne is supposed to be in the show, but I always aged him between 30 and 35.

* * *

"River's going too fast."

River tugged against Jayne's manacle-like hand, but as strong as she was, she was no match for his iron grasp. He pulled her quickly through the crowds on Persephone, bumping and bustling against all sorts of people: tourists, captains, and lots of people of a more disreputable nature.

She pulled back harder. Jayne spared a glace backwards in her direction. "Where are we going?" Her fear, creeping up her spine, made her speak more lucidly than usual. River dug her combat boots into the loose dirt, sending a fine dust into the air.

Jayne stopped abruptly and pulled River close. "I don't know 'bout you, but I don't care what Mal said. I ain't watchin' you all day. I ain't gonna be your rock. Now I'm goin' for a drink and maybe find a woman, and you can go off and play or dance whichever." He threw her wrist away. "Get."

She didn't move, only held her wrist out, a bruise quickly blossoming on her pale white skin. "But, the stone - "

"Get out of here," he growled low, his face inches from her. River gasped and twirled around, terrified. Within moments she had disappeared into the crowd, her black hair flying behind her.

Jayne grunted and shook his head like a dog shaking water. _Good riddance_, he thought, as he walked towards the nearest bar. He sat on a stool in the shady room and ordered a shot of something dangerously strong. The bartender, a seedy, dark-skinned man, recognized the look of a man with a dark cloud and no words to share, and walked away towards other customers without making conversation. The mercenary gulped the searing alcohol quickly, letting it burn slowly down his throat. He banged on the bar, signaling the bartender for another.

A buxom darkhaired woman made her way to the seat next to him. She placed her hand on his arm and leaned forward slightly, allowing her breasts room to swell upwards in her low cut dress. "You need a date tonight _bao bei?_"

Jayne shrugged her off violently. "Leave me alone," he growled.

The prostitute looked a bit offended for a moment, but found a new potential partner almost immediately. Jayne swallowed his next shot, barely registering that he had turned down a whore for the first time in over 10 years. It wasn't any good to deny it now, with all the fiery liquor in his blood and the whore already with her next mark: River Tam was affecting him mightily.

He had seen it right after they left Miranda. Suddenly she appeared in a new light: she was dangerous, strong, and lethal. She didn't seem quite as crazy anymore. Sure, her words might be jumbled but her meaning was plain. Maybe that kind if understanding only came after being in her presence for so long, though her brother didn't seem to be benefiting. Maybe his mind was a little bit broken like hers. Many on his home world might say so; he had left his home world abruptly at 17 after nearly beating a man to death for assaulting his younger sister Miriam. Dangerous, strong and lethal had defined him for a long time.

Mercenary work was a short-lived job. He was already 30, and mercenaries, unless they were very good or very lucky, didn't usually live that long. He knew he should start thinking about settling down, or at least, finding someone with whom he could fill his life. If he had to pick anyone, anyone in the whole 'verse to settle down with, it might be a woman like River. He'd like to find a little moon like the one he'd grown up on, get a horse and a dog and just make a living for himself. He had dreams, though many wouldn't believe they extended beyond a few coins and a woman in his bed. He had hopes.

She wasn't right for him, Jayne knew it. She was a dancer, all young and beautiful and lithe. She deserved someone who could treat her with respect and a gentle touch, and he didn't know if he could change his ways to treat her like that. The bruise on her wrist, he remembered with a grimace, was a testament to it.

What he'd said to River had been a lie. He did care about what Mal thought, more than a hired gun usually cared about their captain. It would... well, he thought it would shame Mal if he found out River was out in the world all alone.

"_Ta ma de_," Jayne muttered under his breath. He threw some coins on the bar to pay for his two drinks. His conscious nipping at his heels, he walked out the door and into the sunlight.

If he could ever be worth a woman like River Tam, now was a time to prove it.

* * *

_bao bei_ - sweetheart

_ta ma de_ - dammit


	6. The Fault in The Blame

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews! This is most definitely my favorite chapter so far, and it's only going to get better!

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"_Tian xiao de_, where is she?"

Jayne had been searching the Eavesdown docks for over three hours, with not so much as a sniff of River to show for it. Honestly, he had no idea where she would go, and he dare not go back to _Serenity_ in case Simon or worse, Mal, had already come back. He passed commercial luxury liners, cargo ships loading and unloading, and here and there pockets of the poor and formidable Persephone underbelly clinging to the outskirts.

Eventually he had no other option, besides finding Mal and telling him he'd screwed up badly: he went to find Badger. He knew everything that happened on the docks, and if anyone had heard about River, it would be him. Jayne found the slighter man in his den having a cup of tea. Bodyguards surrounded him the moment he stepped inside.

"Oh, lookit this! Missed you this morning," Badger said, putting down his bone china cup and looking up at the intimidating mercenary. "Cat got your tongue mate?"

Jayne sat down without preamble. "I'm lookin' for someone. You heard anythin' about the girl we was travelin' with a few months back? She's gone missin'."

Badger leaned back, a scheme forming behind his eyes. "Now, why would you be lookin' for her? Last I heard, she was still wit' your crew."

"She is," Jayne replied, his eyes flashing darkly.

"That don't answer my question," Badger said easily, gesticulating upward. "What is it you want from me?"

"Your help," was all Jayne could spit out behind gritted teeth. "An' for you not to tell Mal I came lookin' for her. She - she ran off 'bout three hours ago, an' I need to find her quick."

Badger smiled slightly. He knew as well as anyone in the 'verse when someone was lying to me, but he had more important, longterm plans to consider. He stood abruptly. "I might've 'eard of a disturbance near that cargo ship _Orion Thirteen_. Down the docks a ways. You know, there's a whorehouse near its dock," he added almost offhand.

Jayne stood just as quickly. "Tell me what you've heard," he said angrily.

"Sure mate," Badger shrugged acquiescently. He took another dainty sip of tea. "Just that a girl, young, dark hair, got in'o a spot o' trouble over that way. Heard from a friend o' a friend. The way they hire new girls... bit nasty, from what I've 'eard."

"Where is she now?" Jayne's growl was feral, deadly, and even Badger, typically unflappable in the presence of larger mercenaries, paled slightly.

"No idea," he said, and that was the truth. "But that's as good a start as any, mate."

Jayne turned on his heel and was about to leave when he said quietly, "What do you want for this?"

Badger smiled widely. Finally, Jayne understood. "Oh, nothin'. Let's just say you owe me." With that, he waved Jayne away; the bodyguards pushed him roughly out of the tent. Jayne wasted no time in beginning the walk to the other side of the docks.

* * *

It was an hour til sunset. Jayne finally reached the _Orion Thirteen_, and immediately spotted the hole-in-the-wall whorehouse Badger had mentioned. He moved to walk in when he caught a scent on the breeze - blood. A lot of blood. He looked around nervously but no one was watching him; their eyes slid over the tiny building as they bustled on to different destinations. Gingerly he opened the door and crept inside.

It was dark and dank, ripe with the smell of spilled blood everywhere. Men and women lay slaughtered on once-fancy couches, on stained plush rugs, and over and under the derelict bar. And in the middle, huddled in between a faded silk chair and a young woman with her throat cut, was River. Streaks of sticky blood clung to her hair and hands, and clutched in one she held a short razor blade.

"_Lao tien ye_," Jayne breathed. He crouched next to River, gently moving her disgusting hair from her face. "What happened, River?" Internally, he recognized the first time he'd ever used her name.

She let out a tiny scream and tried to scurry away, but Jayne caught her by the wrist. She yelped again and to his shame, he saw it was the wrist he'd yanked and bruised earlier. "Mustn't let the rocks stop the river, there will be walls and doors and more scraping and sawing, and so much noise..."

"River, girl, you gotta calm down," Jayne tried to soothe her. He stroked her hair, the way he used to do when his sister Miriam was little and had nightmares. "We gotta get out of here right quick 'else we're gonna get caught." He pulled her to her feet and half-carried her through the kitchen to a back door. He spied a spigot outside; quickly, he swung River into his arms and kicked the door open. The spigot looked rusty but usable, with a small metal bucket underneath.

"Come on girl, you gotta help me a bit," Jayne muttered. While he pumped cool water into the bucket, she lay unmoving on the ground, her fingers curling into the grass.

"Where was my wall?" River moaned into the shady ground. "Where was my path? I didn't - I couldn't -"

But she didn't finish. Jayne scooped her up into a sitting position and, tearing off a piece of his shirt, began washing her face and hair. "I'm sorry," he murmured. Jayne never apologized. "I shouldn'ta made you run off. Shoulda looked after you proper. I just thought -"

"-that the river could find its own way," she finished in a whisper. "Tua culpa. Tua maxima culpa."

He paused, slowly rinsing the cloth in the bucket. "Yeah. It's my fault."

Tears leaked down her face. Jayne slowly washed the blood off her forehead. "I can't," she whispered into the palm of his hand as he trailed it down her cheek. "A wall is necessary to keep the river from becoming a delta in an ocean. Need something to hold on to."

Jayne sighed softly, the sound of a ball slowly losing its air. He was losing his internal fight. Quickly he picked River up, though she was still dirty with dried blood; her head cradled into his chest. She whimpered and clawed at his t-shirt, burrowing deeply into the soft, worn fabric. He felt the wetness from her tears and the water on her face on his chest. Soon, the Alliance would surround the house and trap them.

"You hold onto me for a while," he said softly, trudging into a dimly lit back alley. "Gonna be back at _Serenity _real quick."

_Won't hurt to be a wall for a while_, he reasoned with himself.

* * *

_Tian xiao de - _for the love of all that's holy (more exasperated)

_Lao tien ye - _God in heaven (more of a prayer)


	7. The Girl in The Past

**A/N: **This is what River experienced while Jayne looked for her. R and Rs are always appreciated!

* * *

_Several hours earlier:_

River ran through the crowd as if she were slicing through air: the waves of people parted for her quick, birdlike steps. She eventually found herself in between a dog meat vendor and a dilapidated church. The alley was well hidden from the crowd, and she allowed herself to slide to the ground, her back against the church wall. Her breath came out in harsh gasps, but she was not winded: she could run miles and miles before her hands started shaking.

But they were shaking. River raised her palms to her eyes, barely flickering a glance to the purpling bruise on her wrist.

"Hands," she whispered, pleading, "hold the water in. Can't let it escape. Can't let it seep through the cracks."

There were lucid parts of her brain. They were getting stronger, slowly but surely, through her brother's tender ministrations and the relief of having Miranda out of her head. At that moment, hidden away in the dusty alley, she was losing the battle to the rush of sights and sounds invading the back of her eyelids.

She knew many things in the lucid parts of her brain. In between the facts, the rote memorization, the dance steps and Earth-that-was, River knew that Jayne Cobb was a dangerous, dangerous man, and loving him, needing him the way she did, was foolish. She knew parts of him hated her entire being – for cutting him, for nearly getting him killed more than once, for losing him a lot of money.

He didn't hate her as much as he used to, she could tell. He even respected her after Miranda. Covered in Reaver blood, blades in both hands – that's the way he saw her in his mind, and he liked it. He wasn't afraid of her; he thought she was deadly but beautiful, graceful but terrifying. Simon didn't like it at all. It scared him, what the Alliance had done to his innocent baby sister.

River didn't remember when she reciprocated his feelings of respect and admiration. She supposed in the womanly parts of her mind she always appreciated his maleness; he stank of testosterone and man, and damn if she didn't like that. It hadn't been his manly attributes that attracted her, she thought, but rather a letter he received from his mother once when they ventured to the same space station where the Captain and Zoe had received their friend Tracey. He read it silently and never spoke of it with anyone, though for a week he was surlier than usual. River saw it in his mind however, and read it anyway.

Jayne's mother sent him a funeral notice. The pages were splotched with tears and sadness, the ink running in several places from the wetness. His littlest brother, Matty, who had had damp lung chronically for years, finally succumbed to pneumonia. He was only nine.

She felt his pain. She felt the love he had for his family and his internal anger for not going home, not sending more money, more medicine. He had never met this littlest brother, and he felt waves of grief every day because of it, and for his love, she loved him too.

"She loved me for the dangers I had passed, and I loved her that she did pity them," River murmured to herself.

The lucid parts of her brain told her time and again that no one had any idea what she meant when she said, "I could make him shiny. He could make me whole." She meant, "I love you, and I could complete you." She needed him like a life raft, like oxygen in space, like sunshine on the ground.

"Pretty girls got no business cryin'," came a voice in the alley. River had no idea how long she'd been sitting but by the tingling in her limbs it had been a long while. She stood quickly and looked at the grimy man staring at her. He offered her a hand, filth crusted underneath his fingernails.

"Come on love, let's have some tea and you can tell me all about it," the stranger leered. She shook her head, but the man's grip was strong on her arm, and he quickly guided her down the street into a small, out-of-the-way house. Inside he released her with a laugh. River looked around and saw smirking men and women seated on cushions and stools. Many other women, all naked, all sad, serviced several in plain view.

She took in the sight and smell of arousal and fear, and without a boulder-like man to hold her back, she became a terrible waterfall, all power, no control. Within minutes she was surrounded by death and sticky blood, and no Jayne Cobb to protect her.

"Niagara Falls is just for looking," she whispered, and huddled in the dark.

* * *

River's quote, "She loved me for..." comes from _Othello_, Act 1, scene 3.


	8. The Fight in The Cargo Bay

**A/N: **Two in one day! Thanks for the support! In a chapter or two things will start getting interesting with Badger and more Rayne goodness...

* * *

"What the hell happened to her?"

Simon's fist collided with Jayne's jaw; no one moved to help the mercenary as he stumbled backwards. His lip had split open, and he spat blood onto the ground.

In the middle of the cargo bay stood Mal, Zoe and Wash. Kaylee was in the infirmary soothing a frightened River. After Jayne returned with a bloody River in his arms, Simon put his anger on hold to check his sister for injuries, and Kaylee helped him. Mal's disgusted look kept Jayne standing in the same spot for over half an hour while Wash got them into the sky and out to the black 'verse right after Inara docked her shuttle. After he had given his sister a light sedative, Simon returned to the cargo bay for retribution.

"I gave you a real simple job Jayne," Mal said angrily. "Watch the girl. How was that a particularly difficult job?"

"Well Mal you have to consider, this is Jayne Cobb we're talkin' about," Wash interjected, always the comedic relief.

Jayne growled, "She ran off. I had me a drink, then I went lookin' for her for over 4 hours. Then when I found her-"

"In a pool of blood? Come on Jayne, even you can spin a better lie than that." Zoe's tone was frank and disbelieving. Her husband snorted appreciatively.

"No, I found her trapped inside a whorehouse," Jayne spat another wad of blood on the cargo bay floor.

Mal shook his head. "See, it ain't the whorehouse in a pool of blood thing that concerns me. Might be that I believe you about that part. It's the running off part that concerns me. She's been mighty attached to you of late, and she just runs off?" The captain took a few steps into the circle of his crew, all eyes upon him. "I think you ran her off," he continued angrily. "You chased her off 'cause you was angry with me, that it? Then that little piece of _go-se_ you call a conscience started in on you and to save your own skin, you went after her."

Jayne's mouth opened and closed but he had no voice to refute.

"That's what I thought," Mal spat. "I should kill you where you stand." And he whipped out his revolver as Jayne drew his hunting knife, whose own revolver was in his back holster, and he couldn't reach it as quickly.

"I don't think River'd take too kindly to me bein' gone," Jayne said gruffly.

Simon snorted without humor. "I think she could function just fine without you, Jayne."

"You don't know what you're talkin' about," Jayne said. "She needs somethin' you can't give her."

This time it was Mal who snorted. "Big change from last night Jayne. What'd you call her? Creepifyin'?" Simon, Wash and Zoe simultaneously rolled their eyes. "What's that, a bullet wound?" Wash said. "No, wait. An orange hat."

Jayne barked out, "No, she needs somethin' to gorram hold on to! You might be her family Doc, and you might be there when she wakes up screamin' and hollerin' about blue-handed demons, but you ain't ruttin' capable of handlin' her without a needle and some fancy drugs. She needs someone strong-"

"Someone like you?" Simon snickered.

"You didn't find her in the middle of a slaughterhouse," Jayne retorted. "She needs someone who could, I dunno, not control her, but... slow her down. Like a dam or a, a rock." Jayne felt proud that he was finally understanding what River had been saying.

Simon paled almost imperceptibly, remembering the conversation he'd had with River only the other night.

"Mal!" Inara's shocked and scandalized voice rang out through the bay, interrupting Jayne's out of character monologue. "What is going on here?" She walked in between Mal and Jayne's standoff.

"What is it Inara?" Mal said brusquely, his eyes never leaving Jayne's face.

"It's River," she replied coolly. "She's been asking for-"

"I'll see her," Simon turned to leave, slightly disappointed he'd miss Jayne getting shot.

"No," Inara shook her head. She touched Simon's arm lightly. "She's been asking for Jayne."

Everyone looked at the Companion at her words. "She is?" Jayne asked, incredulous, and there was a feeling in his gut akin to a full meal and a well-polished gun: a bit like happy contentment. He lowered his knife immediately.

Inara narrowed her eyes. She disliked the crude man, but River had asked for him. To Inara, that was enough. Jayne followed the Companion to the infirmary, his thoughts in disarray.

Wash turned to Zoe and asked, "Is Jayne in love?"

* * *

_go se - _dog shit


	9. The Gold in The Man II

**A/N: **Okay, THIS is my favorite chapter. Thanks for the reviews, especially DefyGravity2502; you'll know it when you see it!

I'm at a bit of a loss as to where to go next. I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete. Any advice or thoughts would be great!

* * *

Inara led Jayne to the infirmary and slid the doors open. Kaylee sat with River, stroking the younger woman's brow.

"Kaylee, _mei mei_," Inara called softly. Kaylee looked up and her expression darkened looking at Jayne. She stood and joined Inara in the hallway, and soon Jayne was alone with River. He approached her cautiously, like a wild animal in a cage. Her eyes were closed but there was a very small smile on her face, and he thought she must be asleep, knocked out by Simon's drug mix.

"Well, you wanted me," he finally said after a little while. "An' I'm ruttin' here, so speak your piece." She didn't respond, only sighed softly. Jayne groaned; she asked for him, and now she was asleep.

Finally he pulled up a chair and sat awkwardly by her head, unable to think of more words to say. If she had been awake, it wouldn't have made things any easier for him. He contented himself, barely, by reaching out and touching her dark waves of hair.

"Always thought you was real pretty, River," Jayne murmured. "Remind me a lot of my sister Miriam. She'd be... _hun dan, _23 now? I guess so. I left 'bout 12 years ago... Been a long time since I've been home an' seen her."

"Anyways," he continued, "She had this long black hair, same as you. Takes after my momma. She was always a bit soft in the head just a bit slow. I ain't sayin' you're slow!" Jayne added hastily. "Just that, well Miriam needed more help 'n most."

He took a deep breath. "I left when I was 'round 17. I was takin' her into town for Ma, an' we got separated - you know how kids are - an' I looked all over for her, but when I found her... well, it weren't what an older brother wanted to find when he went lookin' for his little sister."

"There was this kid, 'bout my age, name o' Zeke." Jayne shook his head like a horse shaking off flies. "You weren't never sure about his intentions or what he was thinkin'. Kept to himself, mostly, though he had a real touch with the cattle and horses. See, Avalon's a real tiny moon, but it's good for cattle and ranchin' and we did alright there. But that day, I found him with, with Miriam. That _ben tian sheng de yi dui rou_ had her pinned against the wall and -"

But he couldn't finish. Jayne pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed deeply. He had never told anyone about what happened that day except his Ma and Pop; they'd given him a little cash and sent him packing on the first shuttle off Avalon. It wasn't anyone's business but his own why he'd left home.

"He hurt her," came a small whisper into his ear. Jayne perked up and saw River's eyes wide open. Her fingers were just inches from his own, tangled in her hair. "And then you hurt him."

"Best thing I ever did," Jayne replied grimly, looking anywhere but her bright eyes.

"You saved me," she reminded him gently. "That was good."

"Yeah, that was pretty good too," he agreed gruffly. "But hell, it was my fault in the first place."

"Sometimes you find oil with gold," River mused cryptically, but Jayne understood her perfectly.

"I ain't got gold in me," he shook his head. But River seemed to disagree: her fingertips brushed his slowly and gently.

"I got all wet," she whispered while her fingers made lazy circles on Jayne's skin. "It all came crumbling down." Tears slowly welled in her eyes.

"Hey now," Jayne started, standing from the chair and leaning over her, "You only got all wet 'cause I was cleanin' you up. Nothin' crumbled."

She closed her eyes and the tears overflowed down her face into her hair. Jayne wasn't sure what to do; crying girls weren't his specialty. He grabbed a towel from the infirmary counter and awkwardly dried her tears.

"No more mollifying," River mumbled, and tried to wave his hand away.

Jayne gave her a dirty look and threw the towel back on the counter. "Whatever that means, River-girl." He leaned over the gurney and put his hands on either side of her body. "Now you wanted me," he growled low, "an' you haven't told me what for. I'm tryin' to help you, same as I did a few hours ago. I already admitted that was my fault, an' I accepted that. And I even told you 'bout Miriam an' I called you pretty. Just," and he hung his head, willing himself to share that little shred of emotion she needed, "tell me why I'm here. " In his voice was a note of pleading, so hidden under the regular gruff mercenary that most would have missed it. But River, the clever reader that she was, heard it.

"Just you," she said softly. "Just needed my rock."

Jayne blew air sharply through his nose. He was relieved, though he didn't know why. A small, pale hand reached up and touched the bridge of his nose. Instinctively, he pushed his head into her palm and closed his eyes. Together they stayed like that, River touching Jayne, his face in her hands, his hands at her sides.

Inara and Kaylee came back to check on them about 15 minutes after they left. They were shocked and awed by their crewmates: by Jayne's protective stance over River, by her tender touch, and most of all, by their general disregard of the ship around them in favor of the world made up of just the two of them.

* * *

_mei mei - _little sister

_hun dan - _damn


	10. The Gold in The Man III

**A/N: **It's been forever since I updated, and I apologize. I started a new job, I'm moving, and I have homework to do over spring break. In general, I'm a pile of stress. You know what makes me feel better though? Rayne :)

* * *

River left the infirmary the next morning, and after that, Jayne took to avoiding her. What she made him feel was uncomfortable, to say the least. His head felt woozy, his heart was two sizes too big, and he could barely concentrate on the things he loved best; namely killing things, eating things, and working out. Twice he had missed his mouth just last night and ended up with mashed potato-like protein on his cheek, much to Wash's amusement, because he'd been staring at River. She had giggled softly every time she caught him.

On their most recent job just last week, on Hera, she had even gotten him wounded - at least, that's what he told himself. They'd been riding off on the mule when bullets began pinging off the metal sides, and Jayne had pulled River underneath him to protect her. He'd gotten a deep graze on his back for his troubles. She wouldn't leave the infirmary while he was being stitched up.

"River, go off and play," Simon had chided gently, concentrating on his precise stitching. She wouldn't leave, however, and it made Jayne chuckle.

"Gettin' her to move's like getting a mountain to," he said.

"I am not a mountain," River replied, offended. "Don't want to change my course at all."

"You're like that, ain't ya," he murmured under his breath. Simon finished the stitching and patted Jayne to signal that he could get up. He stood and wobbled a bit as Simon turned to the cabinets to put his things away. A pale hand handed Jayne his frayed t-shirt; he took it with a nod.

Jayne considered all of these changes and events as he lifted his heavy weights in the cargo bay. He grunted as his muscles strained against the metal.

"Jayne," came a singsong voice from the door. He nearly dropped all of the weight on his chest as River danced toward him. "I have something for you!"

He sat up, every muscle twitching. "What is it?"

She pulled a huge hunting knife from between her shoulder blades and held it out proudly. Jayne leaped to his feet, afraid she would slash his chest again. But she was grinning too hugely for that, he thought quickly.

"Give it here River-girl," he said, approaching her with his hand tentatively outstretched. She giggled and shook her head no.

"I found it," she laughed. "Mine now!" She waved it in his face.

Jayne cursed himself for leaving it in the kitchen. "It ain't yours," he replied angrily. "Now give it here!"

She shook her head and bolted back out the door, Jayne thumping heavily behind her. In and around the inner structure of _Serenity_ they thundered, River laughing and teasing him the whole while. Jayne was angry, almost infuriated beyond words, and yet, he was having the time of his life.

Suddenly, River vanished. She turned a corner and Jayne twisted right after her but she disappeared. He stood still, all senses on alert. He tensed to spring like a big cat resting only feet away from its prey.

A dark, incredibly thin thread of hair dangled in front of him. Jayne looked up, slowly, into River's grinning face.

In a flash, Jayne grabbed her hand and swung her down. She even fell gracefully but Jayne had the power of a tiger while River was lithe like a Siamese cat of Earth that was. He pinned her against the metal wall, his larger hands holding her smaller ones and his knee between her legs.

"Can't move!" she protested. "Rock's in my way."

"An' I'm gonna be in your way til you give me my knife back," Jayne growled. He was all too aware of her pale skin and its soft texture underneath his calloused hands. "It still behind your back?"

She wouldn't look him in the eye, only ducked her head and smiled.

Jayne dipped his head lower, trying to catch her eye. "That's my favorite knife," he growled softer. "I want it back. 'Sides, if Mal catches -"

River silenced him with her lips. She pressed them softly against his and lightly nibbled. Jayne realized that this was the first time he had kissed or been kissed in over 10 years, and in that instant he decided he never wanted to kiss anyone else. But she was still River, and she was powerful and wild and strange and beautiful, and what was he? A dumb rock.

He tried to push her away, but she wrapped her strong arms around his neck and wouldn't be torn away.

"Can't be doin' this River," he mumbled into her mouth. He tried to untangle her arms again but she clung too tightly and pressed her mouth harder against his. "Come on River -"

"She found it," she whispered. "Don't take the gold away from her. It is so beautiful..."

Jayne sighed, accepting his descent into hell, and wrapped his arms tighter around her and pulled her into his arms. They melted together into the shadows of the ship.


	11. The Together in the Empty Space

**A/N**: I love you guys so much. Thanks for sticking by me! I'm sorry I haven't been updating as quickly but I'm working on it.

* * *

Badger had never intended on collecting the favor Jayne Cobb owed him. A small man, Badger thrived on dramatics and airs as much as he needed the money he earned from delegating business. He needed a hired man, badly, and Jayne came to mind. Resignedly, he waved Malcolm Reynolds.

* * *

They met in the alleyways and corners of _Serenity. _Any time they weren't together was wasted breath in both of their opinions. If it wasn't for River's magnificent acting talents and the crew's long-held belief that Jayne could never fall in love, they would have been discovered.

He lay in bed every night, his arms over his head, thinking about her hair, her eyes, her everything. She grew on him like moss clinging to a rock in a river. It was incredible how he could understand her now – no more nonsense, no more games. And she understood him as well! He basked in her approval and her smile. What a smile! He was used to women who screamed and moaned their pleasure when he was with them, but River made no noise at all. At one time he had worried about that, whether he made her happy, satisfied her, but to see her face when she was with her: it was an earth-shattering smile, dazzling as the sun, and it made his knees weak. Compared to her, he was a _sha gua_ but she still smiled for him, and that was worth all the gold in the 'verse.

They left dinner one after the other. They spared no glances or words and left the rest of the crew to their masticating. A quick turn here, a duck under here and he had her in his arms where she belonged.

"I missed you," River murmured into his ear as Jayne nibbled on her neck. Once in a while he was inclined to go slowly; though they had hardly any time to spare, and usually they collided like gasoline and a lit match, but sometimes, just sometimes, he needed to savor her.

"I always miss you River-girl," he mumbled back, his teeth digging into her neck. She hissed at the sharp feeling and scratched her broken nails against his face.

Jayne smiled slightly. He enjoyed this part of their relationship (is that what they had? He thought): the physical, almost bloodthirsty quality with which they needed each other. "Do that again an' I guarantee you'll be in mighty big trouble."

She whipped him across the face, cutting into his cheek.

"Brat," he growled dangerously and bit her neck hard, instantly causing a bruise. She squirmed but he held her in place with his body and lifted her up with his arms. He felt her dancer legs twine around his back and he loved it.

"What does a rock know of the river's destiny?" She gasped softly into his ear.

"I already know all I need to 'bout destiny," Jayne whispered. He hugged her tighter, his greedy hands sliding under her shirt against her back. "Got you in my arms, right? 'Sall I need."

River smiled at him and he nearly collapsed. How did he feel such things in such a short period of time? He wasn't a smart man, but he was a gambling one: he would bet on destiny for that.

They stood together like that for ages, kissing and touching and moaning and groaning. If only he could take her back to his bunk, Jayne thought, and treat her properly. That might have been an oxymoron a few weeks ago, Jayne and treating a woman properly. It wasn't anymore. He was tired of hiding her. It felt like covering a jewel-colored bird with a sheet, or muddying up a precious jewel. What they shared was priceless to him.

Her delicate hands rose softly underneath his shirt. Fingertips softer than velvet ghosted over his taunt stomach, so gracefully he couldn't bear it.

"River," he growled, and was about to shuck his cargo pants off but suddenly a noise crashed over the intercom. River quaked in fear between Jayne's corded arms. "Jayne, get your _pi gu_ up to the bridge now!"

The Captain was angry about something.

* * *

_sha gua_ - idiot

_pi gu_ - bottom, behind, butt


	12. The Badger in The Room

**A/N: **This chapter really moves things along. I think I might've gotten a little OOC with some characters so I'd love some feedback. As always, reviews are appreciated, and thanks for all the support and love!

* * *

Mal, Zoe and Wash stared stonily at Jayne as he walked into the console room, slightly out of breath from running and kissing River senseless. The Captain eventually broke the awkward silence.

"Got a wave," he grunted.

"So?" Jayne grunted right back. He wasn't afraid of Mal - at least, not too afraid. "We got a job?"

"No Jayne. You got a job." Zoe's words stunned Jayne.

"I ain't followin'," he replied slowly. Unbeknownst to them all, River had silently crept up into the doorway and watched wide-eyed at the exchange.

Mal stepped forward. "Badger waved."

At those two simple words Jayne paled. He cleared his throat and thought it best to dive right in and tell the truth. "I owed him a favor. Didn' think he'd collect so fast."

"Dammit Jayne!" Mal slammed his hand on the console, making Wash jump nearly out of his skin. "If you're goin' behind my back getting' jobs at least have the common courtesy to get off this ship first, _dong ma_?"

"It weren't like that Mal," Jayne pleaded. "He did me a favor."

"You should have told us," Zoe shook her head. She placed a hand on her husband's shoulder.

River burst into the room, unable to contain herself, and pressed against Jayne's chest like a tiny, dark-haired shield. "Don't hurt him!" She clamored. "Wasn't the rock's fault. Blame the river." She turned her fiery gaze at the Captain and his crew. Zoe and Wash smiled slightly but Mal's eyes remained as stoic as ever. Jayne's arms wrapped around River's waist and pushed her gently to the side.

"What are you sayin', little albatross?" Questioned the Captain.

"Get out o' here, River," Jayne muttered. River refused and gripped his shirt, the same one she had been holding on to while he kissed her only five minutes beforehand, tightly between her fingers.

"I wanna know what she's got on her mind," Mal snapped.

River huffed, "He chased me, and I ran and ran and ran so far, down the river, but he came looking for me with his torch – the Badgerman gave it to him!"

Wash murmured as an aside to his wife, "I'm sorry sugar lips but I didn't understand a word of that."

"_Bi zui_." Mal angrily rubbed the bridge of his nose. "River, you ain't makin' sense. Go on out an' find your brother."

"No!" Bless her heart, the girl even stamped her foot. "This is mine." Her grip on Jayne's shirt was vise-like. In a rare lucid moment, River looked right into Mal's eyes and said, "Jayne saved my life, and Badger helped him. Don't hurt him."

Jayne realized that was the first time she had said his name and not "the rock." Suddenly, he was incredibly afraid. He gripped around River's waist so tight she sqeaked. "She's tellin' the truth," he growled to Mal, who watched the two of them like a hawk watched sparrows in flight. "I chased her, then I went lookin' for her, and when I couldn' find her I went to Badger and he led me to her. He said I owed him one but I didn't care. Figured that havin' her back safe an' sound was more important than Badger." Jayne looked harder into Mal's eyes, practically daring him to question his logic.

The other crew members stared. Then Wash, of all people, stood and placed a hand on the larger man's shoulder. "Sounds good to me," he said, and looked at his wife and Captain.

Zoe nodded once and joined her husband. "Sir, with respect, I agree. It was for the crew."

Mal sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair, though Jayne could tell that he agreed with Zoe. "Fine, not like I'm the Captain of this ship or anything. Get over there Jayne, an' talk to Badger." He motioned to a chair, where the wave screen was already up.

* * *

"Mr. Cobb," Badger wheedled through the screen. "And friends! Lovely. How's the girl?"

"What do you want, Badger?" Jayne growled. He used his bulk to shield River from view.

"If you recall correctly, I asked you for a favor back on Persephone. I need a man."

Behind him, River snorted. "Could have looked between the red lights for that," she whispered. Wash stuffed his fist in his mouth to stop from laughing.

Jayne smiled slightly and turned back to Badger, whose frown had only increased at being ignored. "What kind of job? And where?"

"No thievin'," Badger ammended. "Protection only. Got some... cargo needs lookin' after."

"Better not be cows," Zoe murmured.

"How quickly can you get to Liann Jiun?" Badger pressed.

Jayne turned to Mal, who said without looking up, " 'Bout three days, maybe less."

"Wonderful!" Badger smiled a wolflike grin. "Near the outskirts of the city of St. Devian, there's a school. One of the best in the core – called St. Devian's, matter o' fact."

"And?" Jayne was looking to speed the process up a bit.

Badger's expression became serious. "And my two sons attend said academy. Semester's nearly over and I need someone to fetch 'em."

Everyone echoed the same expression of shock. No one knew that Badger had family at all, least of all two sons. Mal stepped over Jayne to handled the negotiations. "Now Badger, we'd love to pick up your boys but we ain't got room for children on this ship."

Badger held up his hand. "That isn't necessary. There's a shuttle leaving in four days I need Mr. Cobb to be on, protecting my sons. It'll arrive on Persephone in a week, at which time you can pick him up."

Mal shook his head. "You realize by takin' my mercenary you're puttin' us out of commission for two weeks?"

Badger gave a curt nod. "I have connections on Liann Jiun. I'll put you in touch with Juliette – trust me, she might look like a flower but she's anything but. She knows the criminal underground better than almost anyone I know – excluding present company o' course." He tipped his hat at Mal, who nodded appreciatively.

The Captain took over the call then, hammering out the details with Badger. Zoe and Wash had long since left. Jayne backed out slowly, nearly tripping over River. They both rushed out of the console room, down the stairs, around some corners and were together again, breathing heavily.

All the commotion forgotten, Jayne hugged River tightly against the wall. She sighed into his neck and whispered, "I won't let them hurt you, Jayne."

"I wasn' getting hurt River," he reassured her. "I did it for you."

"Words bruise too," she said seriously. "Didn't want the Captain to push you in the airlock again." Her face was frowning but her eyes twinkled with mirth.

Jayne nipped her earlobe to silence her. They cradled against the wall, relief flooding their veins that Mal hadn't been angry at all, and they could stay together. Jayne was already working on a plan to let River join the "mission."

Inara gracefully descended the steps towards the kitchen. Movement to her left caught her eye and she looked down the shadowy hallway. She paled as she watched Jayne pin River against the wall and kiss her ravenously. River was just as eager, pulling at his hair and wrapping her legs around his waist. Inara recognized true passion when she saw it, but she honestly wasn't sure what to do about the mercenary and the young woman. So, she kept walking demurely to the kitchen, thinking. A small smile crept onto her face. Maybe Kaylee would like to know...

* * *

_dong ma _- understand

_bi zui _- shut up


	13. The Memory in The Mechanic

**A/N:** Thanks for the support everyone! As always, reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated and welcomed. This story's just chuggin' along!

* * *

"She ain't comin' Jayne! Why are we even discussin' this?" Mal was flabbergasted at Jayne's insistence that River come with them to Liann Jiun. They were sitting in the cargo bay doing some last minute preparations before they landed. In about three hours, Jayne – and he hoped dearly that River could come too, though he wasn't doing well arguing the point – would be on Liann Jiun picking up Badger's twin boys, Lukas and Tracey.

"She'd be an asset Mal!"

"_Ai ya, tien a_! Okay, let me en'ertain this for a second. Why do you want her along?"

Jayne couldn't tell him the real reason: that being without River for a week would hurt him like a stab wound to the gut. Even thinking about an absence that lengthy made his insides twist about like writhing snakes. He ended up grunting, "If you an' Zoe are off on a job, you don't wanna be lookin' after the girl, an' the doc and Kaylee an' Inara don't wanna be bothered by her... I mean, it makes sense puttin' her on a job where she can't get in trouble."

Mal sighed. For once, Jayne made sense, though he was still unsure as to why he was volunteering to keep watch over River for a week all on his own. "Fine. River's goin' with you. But," he added, sticking his finger in Jayne's face for emphasis, "but, if anything happens to her, if she's missin' one hair on her pretty head when she gets back, you're gonna be sorry."

Jayne nodded once, well aware of his responsibilities. He slammed his duffel bag on the cargo bay floor and checked his stock of weapons. Vera wasn't coming on this particular trip but Ginger, his favorite pistol, and Fiona, his favorite short blade were.

Wash was docking slowly in the Venerable Docks on Liann Jiun. Inara's voice crackled over the intercom. "Mal, I'm headed off. We'll be on Liann Jiun for at least two days, correct?" The the Captain had already assured her they would be because of a job for the crazy Juliette, Inara liked to have her ducks in a row, so to speak.

Mal picked up the intercom. "Yes ambassador. It'll take us at least two days for all this crime gets done." He snickered. "How 'bout you? Your whorin' gonna be done by then?"

Inara huffed and turned the intercom off. Kaylee entered with Simon and River linked on her arms. River skipped away from them and twined around the boxes and bags in the cold metal room.

Mal jumped right in as River began twirling around Jayne, who looked on benevolently. "Doc, your sister's joinin' Jayne this time."

Kaylee gasped, though not for the same reason Simon did. Inara had pulled her into her shuttle and explained what she had seen between River and Jayne. "Was he hurtin' her?" Kaylee had asked.

"No, I don't think so _mei mei_," Inara replied, smoothing the younger woman's hair. "I think they want to be together. You should have seen them, Kaylee." And she sighed, almost wistfully.

"Was it like you and your... clients?" Kaylee had asked in amazement. "I mean... did they look happy?"

Inara smiled and turned to her teapot to remove the steeping leaves. "They looked very happy together."

Kaylee remembered the exchange as Simon stepped purple-faced towards Mal. "There is no way – _no way_ – that she is going with that brute. Do you remember the last time she was alone with him? She was nearly killed!"

In truth that was not what happened the last time Jayne was alone with River. They both smiled slightly at the memory of last night's quick fling after everyone else had gone to bed. He laughed softly as River danced around him with a knowing smile on her face.

"Simon!" Mal shouted. "It's done. We need your help on this job anyway. Without Jayne we're a man down."

Kaylee smiled at her boyfriend, her cheery disposition intact. "They'll be fine Simon! Jayne's learned his lesson, hasn't he Cap'n?" And she looked happily at Jayne and Mal.

"Hush Kaylee," Mal said. He spoke into the intercom, still in his hand, to Wash. "We all docked Wash?"

"Yes," the pilot replied. "I checked the register. The shuttle for Persephone is leaving in one hour. Badger and Juliette both waved: he said to meet the boys at Dock 117, and she said she'll meet you at the Black Dog Tavern at noon."

Mal nodded, thanked Wash and hung up the intercom. He rounded on Jayne and River, who were preparing to leave. River had mysteriously packed a duffel bag already and was sedately standing next to Jayne. "You both best be leavin'," he grunted. "But you take care Jayne," he warned. "Simon's right. The last time I put you in charge o' her you brought her back covered in blood! Now you best protect her this time, proper-like."

The cargo bay doors opened into bright morning sunshine. Everyone covered their eyes as sunlight glinted off the tall city towers and glass. Kaylee rushed forward and hugged River and then Jayne, who accepted it grudgingly. "Be safe, you hear?" She said to them.

River had already stepped into the light and the noise. She beckoned to Jayne excitedly. "It'll be like a vacation!" He snorted and walked out with her. River clutched his arm happily and began talking away.

Zoe and Wash joined them then. Zoe raised an eyebrow as Jayne and River walked away, his head bent down to listen to the smaller woman's chatter. "Sure that was wise, Cap'n?" Zoe questioned.

"Nope," Mal sighed. "But I got a feelin' Jayne likes her more than he lets on."

Kaylee snorted. Simon looked at her funnily and watched his sister walk off with one of the people he disliked most in the universe. He shook his head, decided his Captain was undoubtedly crazy, and wrapped his arm around Kaylee for comfort.

* * *

_Ai ya, tien a_ - merciless hell

_mei mei - _little sister


	14. The Couple in The Shuttle

**A/N: **This might be my least favorite chapter. I had a very difficult time writing it, but I have plans for the future. Truthfully, I'm not sure how to continue on with the story after this chapter. I have one or two chapters planned after this one but I need some inspiration. If you have any ideas, I'd LOVE to hear them. Thanks!

* * *

River and Jayne found their way to Dock 117 where a large shuttle waited. There were several children milling about, with and without parents. Badger had told him his boys were tall, blond and wearing the red uniform of St. Devian's. That wasn't helpful; there were several tall, blond boys in the area with the red uniform on. Jayne didn't know if he had been intentionally vague or if Badger saw his children so rarely that he didn't know what they looked like.

Suddenly they spotted two boys milling around a kebab stand. The boys were definitely twins, blond and sort of tall. They were probably about thirteen. River tugged Jayne towards them.

One of the boys, only distinguishable from his brother by a scar on his eyebrow, looked up and nudged his twin. "Who are you?" The scarred one asked.

"Your dad sent us," Jayne said gruffly. He set his bag on the dusty ground. "Name's Jayne, and this is River." He gestured to the black-haired woman at his side.

The other twin snorted. "Jayne's a girl's name."

This was a sore spot with Jayne. He growled, "So's Tracey." The scarred one narrowed his eyes – Tracey, clearly.

Lukas smirked. "At least Dad liked me enough to give me a boy's name."

Jayne laughed when Tracey hit his brother on the back of his head. This subject was definitely a spot of contention between the two. Lukas looked ready to tackle his brother, so Jayne stepped between them. "That's enough!" He grabbed them by their shirt collars. "Now we're gonna be together for a week. I don' care if you two kill each other but wait til you're home with your Dad. I don' want murder on my hands while we're out in the verse."

Tracey wiped his mouth resentfully. "Why'd he send you two? I mean, you look like you can take care of yourself," gesturing to Jayne's bulk, "but she," and he turned to River, who smiled at him in a bit of a moonbrained way, "doesn't look like much."

River gave him a look. She said mystically, "I am far more than meets the eye."

"That she is," Jayne said, somewhat proudly, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Away from the crew, he felt free to do everything he wanted to on board _Serenity_: hug her, hold her, be in her presence without acting like he hated her.

The shuttle was making a boarding call. The boys grabbed their rucksacks and suitcases and walked towards it, leaving River and Jayne to follow behind. River gently placed her smaller hand into his rougher, larger one. "The rock and the river can finally flow together," she whispered in his ear. She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed happily. "No one can block us now. No dams, no trees, just my rock and your river."

"Y'know," Jayne said softly, "you don't have to call me 'rock.' I think we're passed that now."

"No," River shook her head. "Jayne's a girl's name. Rock's better. You look better in water."

Jayne slapped her rear end, none too gently, and she squealed and ran onto the shuttle.

* * *

It was three days into the flight of the shuttle, and Jayne thought he was about ready to keelhaul the twins. Their constant bickering and small-time violence had him about to snap.

This morning it was River's turn to take them to the kitchen for breakfast. Jayne was wary of letting her out on her own, in case anyone might recognize her, but the shuttle wasn't incredibly large and besides, he needed to learn to trust her.

Lukas and Tracey were, as usual, bickering. Tracey threw a protein bar at his brother and River caught it without looking up from her gruel-like cereal.

"How do you do that?" Lukas asked, impressed. River glared at him.

"No party tricks," she said. Her eyes glazed over. "Two by two, hands of blue. I've been striped down to the basic components."

"Fine," Lukas sulked, taking a bite of the protein bar his twin had thrown at him. "Be weird. I don't care."

Tracey, his mouth full, said, "Is Dad going to be there to pick us up?"

"Don't know," River scratched her head. "He didn't say."

Lukas scoffed, nearly snorting out his protein. He said to Tracey, "He would never come to pick us up. He'd send one of his lackeys to do it, as per usual. Just like her." He sighed angrily and walked off to throw his paltry breakfast away.

"Don't mind him," Tracey murmured. "He takes Dad's absence much harder than I do. That's why he's always so angry."

River nodded. "I feel his anger. It rolls off of him in waves. He's a dark, rolling sea. You," she looked pointedly at the boy, "are a forest. All hidden in the shadows."

Tracey eyed her beadily and stood. "He's right. You are weird."

* * *

Jayne stroked River's hair absently after the boys had gone to sleep. They were still a day away from Persephone and life aboard the shuttle was boring and filled with teenage angst. He was glad for the peace that sleep brought them. While Lukas and Tracey slept soundly in the small room next door, Jayne rested contentedly with River on top of him. She hardly weighed anything.

"Jayne?" She murmured softly without opening her eyes.

"Hmm?" He rested his hand on her soft shoulder.

"I don't want to go back to _Serenity_," she whispered.

"What're you talkin' about?" Jayne pulled her up to look at her. He was astounded. "We can't leave _Serenity_. It's our home. Your brother's there, an' Mal and Kaylee and – and my guns are up there! I ain't leavin' Vera," he added with a harrumph.

River pouted. "They don't understand," she shook her head. "I tell them the rock is supposed to love the river but they don't agree, or they don't know..."

Jayne looked at her oddly. "Who says I love you?"

She sighed. "You do silly. It's coded in your brain. I can feel it coming out of your fingertips and your lips." Her own fingertips gently traced over Jayne's face. "It flows like a river from you."

"Rivers, rocks, why not just say you love me?" Jayne whispered. "You can do it."

"Sure can," she giggled. "I just did. Up here!" She pointed to her head.

Jayne rolled his eyes. He quickly rolled over and pinned River beneath him. "You got a point," he mumbled into her hair. "Can't be doin' this on _Serenity_. They wouldn't let us." He kissed her cheek and held her tightly.

* * *

They landed on Persephone right on time. Tracey and Lukas grudgingly shook their hands and walked off into the horse-drawn carriage their father had sent for them. Jayne wrapped his arm around River and smiled at her; they were off to _Serenity_ to meet back up with the crew, and he wasn't sure if he was happy about it. River was right: the crew wouldn't, couldn't understand how he felt about her, and she him.

Suddenly they caught sight of Mal, Zoe, Simon and Kaylee waiting for them near the road. Jayne swallowed nervously; the Captain looked very angry.

"Mal, er'yone," he greeted them. "What's the matter?"

Kaylee looked bashful, a rarity for her. Simon looked murderous. Mal snorted like an angry bull and pulled out a photograph. It was an image of Jayne and River busy in one of the metal hallways of _Serenity_. It looked like it had been taken with a grainy camera. "What the hell is this, Jayne?" He asked dangerously.

River smiled brightly and looked at the image. "That's not the best picture of you Jayne," she said critically. To top it off, she kissed his cheek happily and continued to stare at the photograph.

Simon went postal.


	15. The Camera in the Hallway

**A/N: **I am so sorry it's been so long. You know what happens when you lose inspiration. I'm not liking this chapter a ton, but at least it helps move things forward.

* * *

_10 days earlier:_

The night Mal and Jayne had made plans to go to Liann Jiun, Simon trudged through the empty hallways of _Serenity. _

"Hey Simon," Kaylee said brightly. She was coming out of the engine room covered in grease. "Wha'cha up to?"

Simon looked around guiltily. "Can you keep a secret for me _bao bei_?"

"Yeah," Kaylee shrugged. "'Course I can." She even lifted her fingers to her forehead as a salute. "Won't even tell the Cap'n."

He lifted a small device out of his pocket. Kaylee gasped: it was a Core-grade camera, tiny, efficient, and perfect for catching people doing things they shouldn't be doing. "I need you to fix this for me so it will take pictures whenever someone walks by it. River keeps coming and going out of our room at night and I want to know what she's up to."

Kaylee covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh Simon, I dunno. I don' know if I'm comfortable doin' that. Plus it's such a shiny camera, wouldn't be right to take her apart!"

Simon took her hands in his. "Please Kaylee. This is for River. What if she's sleepwalking and getting hurt?"

Kaylee couldn't tell him what she knew. She only nodded mutely, and obeyed.

* * *

_The day before the meet on Persephone:_

Simon ran into the kitchen, completely apoplectic. Mal and Zoe were drinking coffee calmly when the raging doctor ran in and slammed the camera and several poorly developed pictures on the table.

"He is _raping_ her, Mal! That - that brute, that vile, disgusting animal is hurting my sister!"

Mal cleared his throat and picked up one of the black and white photos. It was grainy, but it clearly showed Jayne pinning River to the wall. However, it didn't particularly portray rape. Wash and Kaylee walked in then, drawn by Simon's voice. Kaylee looked from Simon to the Captain and back again.

"What's goin' on her, Cap'n?" She was uncertain, hesitant; quite unusual for her.

"Seems like the li'l albatross is in some trouble with her brother," Mal replied. He handed the photo casually back to his crew. For a solid thirty seconds, everyone stared, too stunned to speak. It was difficult to digest, the idea that someone as refined as River might want a, well, an animal like Jayne. Though, she _was _crazy.

Simon still raged on. "Are you going to do something about this?"

Mal sighed. He was surprised at how calmly he was dealing with this situation. Wash and Zoe were one thing, but his prized mercenary and a loony girl? That was different. Jayne was a crack shot and could be trusted not to let his emotions get in the way. Frankly, Mal didn't know if he had much of any empathy. If he and River were carrying on, could he trust him with a job?

"Isn't River an adult?" Wash voiced. "I mean, if she's over eighteen, is there really anything we can do about it?"

Mal shot his pilot a dirty look. "Still my ship Wash. Still my rules. Now, I admit you've got a point 'bout her bein' legal and all, but I gotta think of the crew. Now Doc," he turned to Simon, "your sister is an adult and I'm thinkin' she can make her own decisions. I don' like it, but I think..." He rubbed his forehead. Honestly he didn't know what to think.

"I think Jayne's been a right side happier since this all started," Kaylee said softly.

The others turned suspiciously towards her. "And how long have you known about this?" Simon's tone was pure ice.

Kaylee crossed her arms over her chest. "'Bout a month or so. 'Nara knows too!" She added defensively. "And I mean it, he's been a lot better since they've been gettin' together. He smiles and he laughs - and she laughs too!"

A stony silence fell over the kitchen, each one of them with their own opinion.

* * *

_Persephone:_

Simon bounced on the balls of his feet waiting for Jayne and River. As Mal showed them the picture, he could no longer contain himself. With all his strength, he swung his fist backward and let it collide with Jayne's mouth.

* * *

_bao bei_ - sweetheart


End file.
